Fireplace construction



Dec. 3, 1940. M. L. HElNZ FIREPLACE CONSTRUCTION Filed NOV. 14, 1959 5Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 3, 1940. M. HEINZ FIREPLACE CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov.14, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR w ATTORNEY s Dec. 3, 1940. M. HEINZFIREPLACE CONSTRUCTION Filed NOV. 14, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 b INVENTOR vW W ATTORNEY 5 Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT" 'D-FEWApplication November 14, 1939. Serial Nb. 304,338 1 Claim. (o1.12s--120) 3 Q This invention relates to a fireplace for buildings whichis of the type having auxiliary air ducts arranged adjacent to thehearth so that heating of the room is effected partly by the direct'conducting effect of the fire on'the air in the room and partly by theindirect radiation effect of the heater this fire on fines through whichthe air passes.

The objects of this invention are to provide a fireplace of thischaracter which will heat air taken from-the room containing thefireplace and from: the exterior of the building, or from either ofthese sources, and which is more efficient in its heating effect,relatively simple in construction, easily and conveniently operable, andcan be manufactured and installed at low cost.

In the accompanying drawings:

3: is a front elevation, partly in section, of a fireplace embodying oneform of this invention.

Figs: 2 and 3' are horizontal sections taken on the correspondinglynumbered lines in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is; a fragmentary front elevation of' the Fig. is a horizontalsection taken on line lib-Hi, Fig. 8.

Inthe following description similar characters of reference indicatelike parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In. Figs. 1-4 the fireplaceembodying the present inventionis installedin a building having a floor 20, anupright outer wall 2- I a chimneyhave a lower hollow body 22 which projects forwardly into the room ofthe building and supports a mantel shelf 2:3 and a flue 24 extendingupwardly from the upper outer part of the body. The body and flue of thefireplace may be constructed of any suitable material but in thedrawings the same are represented as being made of bricks, tiles and thelike. On its front side the body of the fireplace is provided with afiring opening 25 and at the lower end of this opening is arranged theusual slab t6.

Within the lower part of the body of the fireplace is a fire box I 9which isenclosedby a casing constructed of sheet metal and comprises twoupright. side walls 2 6 converging rearwa'rdly from opposite verticaledges or the firing opening 25-; an upright back wall 21 arranged in therear part of the body and connected at itsop'pcsite vertical edgeswiththe lower rear part of the side walls and a forwardly inclined deflector28: arranged in the upper rear part of the body and connected at itsside edges the side walls Zdand also connectedat its rear edge with theupper edge of the back wall while its front edge is separated from theupper front part "of the body above its fire opening 25 by atransversethroat 29'.

Within the upper-rear'partof thehol'l'o'w body 221s arranged anupwardlytapering sinokenbox or gathering chamber 30 which is. enclosedbyra casing constructed of' sheet metal and comprises a substantiallyhorizontalsmolreishelf 3| connected at its front end with the upperendwjof. the de-' doctor 28 and extending rearwardly therefrom, two;upwardly convergingside walls 32' connected at-their'lower ends withopposite side edges of the smoke shelf 3!", [a rearwardlyinclined frontwall 33 extending upwardly from. the front side of the throat 29adjacent to the top of thefireopening, 25 and connected at its oppositeupright edges with the front edges of the inclinediside walls 32, andan. upright rear wall34 connected with its opposite vertical edges tothe rear edges of the. inclined side walls 32 while its lower edge isconnected with the rear edge of the smoke shelf 31.

The upper ends of the side, front and rear walls of thegatheringrchamber arein-l-ineand are con; nected with the lower end of acontracted outlet neck 35 of sheet metal which communicates at its.upper end with. thelower end of the chimney flue 24 and is connectedtherewith in any suitable manner. The lower front parts] of the inclinedside walls 32 of the gathering chamber 30 conneot with the upper frontparts of the side walls 26- of the fire box "I9 and the throat 29 formsa passage for connecting the upper 'front part of the fire box with thelower front part of the gathering chamber.

Upon burning fuel on the hearth arranged at the bottom. of the fire boxthe flame and smoke upon rising are directed forwardly by the deflectorwall 28 towardthe throat 29, thence pass through the latter into thelower front part ofthe gathering chamber 30, thence upwardly andrearwardly in the gathering chamber to the outlet neck 35,, and thenceupwardly through the latter to the hue 24 which latter delivers the sameto the outer atmosphere. Any down draft from the flue upon into theroom.

In its preferred form the hearth for supporting the fuel on the bottomof the fire box is constructed as follows:

The numeral 31 represents a grate frame of metal projecting downwardlyfrom the lower end of the fire box in rear of the slab l8 and into anash pit or chute 38 formed in the adjacent part of the chimney body.Across the upper front part of this grate frame is arranged a hearthdump plate 39 which is capable of rotation about a horizontal transverseaxis and movable either into a hori-' zontal operative position in whichit is in the same plane as the slab l6, as shown in Fig. 4, or it can beshifted into a rearwardly inclined position for discharging any asheslying on the same into the ashpit or chute 38. Various means may beemployed for pivotally mounting the dump plate, those shown in thedrawings comprising bearings 40 preferably struck out 'of the metalon-the adjacent part of the grate frame and trunnions 4| arranged atopposite ends of the dump plate and journaled in said bearings. Tippingof the dump plate is effected by pressing its rear edge downwardly andupon releasing the same it returns automatically to its normal position,this being effected by arranging thetrunnions 4| rearwardly of thecenter of the dump plate which causes that part in front of the axis ofrotation to be wider than the rear part of the same in rear of thisaxis, whereby the weight of the front part of the dump platepredominates and automatically restores this plate to its normalposition when released. The movement of the dump plate is arrested uponreaching the normal position by engaging the front edge of the dumpplate with a stop I! on the adjacent front part of the grate frame, asshown in Fig. 4.

In rear of the dump plate is arranged the grate of the hearth whichpreferably comprises two toothed grate bars 42 which are pivotallymounted so that the same can be moved into a normal operative positionin which they are both in the same plane as the hearth slab and the dumpplate, as shown in Fig.4, or the same can be rocked and inclined so asto discharge the ashes thereon into the ash pit'. For this purposetheopposite ends of the grate bars are provided with transversetrunnions which are journaled in bearings 44 struck out or otherwiseformed on the adjacent side parts of the grate frame. Turning or rockingof the grate bars into and out of their operative position may beeffected in any suitable manner but preferably by the means shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 4, and comprising a transverse shaft 45 journaled inbearings 46 on the front part of the grate frame, a rear rock arm'4lprojecting upwardly from one end of this rock shaft and connected by ashifting bar 48 with arms 49 projecting downwardly from the grate bars,and a front -rock arm 50 projecting forwardly from the opposite end ofthis rock shaft through an opening in the grate frame and connected withthe lower end of a vertical operating rod 5! which extends through theslab l6 and grate frame and is provided above the latter with a handle52 whereby the grate bars may be shaken manually.

Protecting means are provided whereby the front side of the fire box maybe covered and uncovered depending on the conditions under which thefireplace is used. In the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 theseprotecting means comprise two screen sections which are slidablehorizontally into and out of pockets 53 formed between the front partsof the chimney body and the fire box on horizontally opposite sides ofthe firing opening 25. Each of these sections is of such dimensions thatupon withdrawing the same from its pocket it covers one-half of thefiring opening and abuts with its front vertical edge against thecorresponding edge of the other screen section at the vertical center ofthe firing opening, thereby completely covering the latter, as shown inFig. 5. Each of the pockets is of such length that upon separating thescreen sections the fullest extent each section will be entirelyconcealed except the front edge thereof and thus uncover practically theentire area of the firing opening, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

- Each of the screen sections is provided on its front edge with ahandle 54 for manipulating the same. In the preferred construction eachof these screen sections comprises two panels 55 which are securedtogether by screws 56 or the like and provided with registering windowopenings 51 and transparent panes 58 of mica or other fire resistantmaterial extending across these window openings and clamped betweenthese frames, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. When an open fire is desiredthe sections of the screen are pushed sidewise into the pockets of thechimney body and when it is desired to cover the firing opening forsafety upon leaving the same unattended or to avoid accidents tochildren or for other reasons, then the screen sections are drawn out ofthese pockets and engaged with each other at their front ends, therebycovering the front side of the firing opening and guarding againstpossible accidents. While the screens are thus drawn together intotheiroperative position, the flames of the fire are still visiblethereby not only rendering the same interesting but also enabling theattendant to observe the condition of the fire on the hearth and takecare of the same when necessary.

To permit of supplying air to the fire on the hearth when the screen isclosed and thus maintain proper combustion an air control device isprovided which preferably comprises a plurality of air openings 59arranged in a horizontal row in the lower part of one panel of eachscreen section, and a shutter 60 slidable horizontally on the otherpanel of this screen section and provided with openings 6! adapted toregister more or less with the openings 59 according to the amount ofair required by the fire, this shutter being actuated manually by ahandle 62 projecting forwardly from the shutter, as shown in Figs. 5 and7.

' For the purpose of regulating the draft from the'fire box through thechimney to suit different conditions, means are provided whichpreferably consist of a vertically rotatable damper 63 arranged in theneck 35 of the gathering chamber 30 and adapted to shut off the fiue ofthe chimney more or less or completely close the same. This damper ismounted on a horizontal operating shaft 64 which is journaled in theupper part of the chimney body and the neck 35 and extends through thelatter and is provided in front of the chimney body with a handle 65 formanipulating the same.

In order to heat the air in the room more rapidly and economically meansare provided including a heating chamber which is arranged around partsof the fire box and gathering chamber and through which air from theroom'is circulated so as to be heated indirectly by radiation from theheated walls of the fire box and gathering chamber. ihe lower section 66of this heating chamber is formed between the rear and side of the wallsof the fire box and a lower jacket section and the upper section 61 ofthe heatingchamber is formed between the front and side walls of thegathering chamber and an upper jacket section, which jackets areconstructed of sheet metal. The lower jacket section comprises twoupright side walls 68 which are spaced from the side walls 25 of thefire box, an upright rear wall 69 connecting the rear ends of the sidewalls 68 and spaced from the rear wall 21, a bottom 10 connecting thelower ends of the respective side walls 26 and rear walls 21 of the firebox and side and rear walls 68, $9 of the lower heating chamber section.The upper jacket section comprises an upright front wall II which isconnected at its lower edge with the lower end of the front wall 33 ofthe gathering chamber 30 and has its upper part spaced therefrom, ahoriaontal top wall it connected at its front edge with the upper edgeof the front wall 1| while its rear edge is connected with lateralextensions list of the rear wall 34 and the neck 35, and two rearwardlyconverging upright side walls 13 spaced from the side walls 32 of thegathering chamber 30 and each connected at its vertical front edge withthe front wall H, at its rear edge with one of the rear wall extensionsI34, and at its upper edge with the top wall 12. It will be noted thatthe opposite side parts of the lower and upper sections of the heatingchamber oommunicate with each other on horizontal opposite edges of thewall 3! which constitutes the bottom of the gathering chamber 30 and thetop of the lower section 66 of the air heating chamber.

In the construction shown in Figs. l-4, cold air inlet ducts M arearranged horizontally in the lower part of the chimney body, each ofthese ducts communicating at its inner end with the lower front part ofone side of the lower heating chamber section and having its inlet endarranged flush with the adjacent side of the chimney body and providedwith a grill 15. In the upper part of the chimney body are arranged twohorizontal warm or hot air outlet ducts 16 each of which communicateswith the upper front part of one side of the upper air heating chamberwhile its outer or inlet end terminates flush with the respective sideof the chimney body and is provided with a grill 11.

By these means air is conducted from the lower or floor part of the roomthrough the air inlet ducts it into the lower section of the heatingchamber, thence upwardly in the latter around the opposite lateral andrear sides of the fire box, thence upwardly through the upper heatingchamber section and around the front and lateral sides of the gatheringchamber, and thence through the outlet ducts into the upper part of theroom, thereby circulating the air in contact with the walls of the firebox and gathering chamber and heating the same indirectly from theflames and hot gases in the fire box and gathering chamber in additionto heating the air directly by the fire in the fire box, whereby agreater volume of air is heated for a given consumption of fuel.

If it is desired to admit fresh air to the fireplace from the outside ofthe building this is accomplished by opening a fresh air intake 18 whichextends through the lower rear part of the chimney body from theexterior of the building to the lower rear part of the lower heatingchamber section 66. This fresh air intake is provided at its outer endwith a grill '9 and the same may be closed or opened more or less by avertically movable shutter 80 which slides in guides 8| on the rear sideof the lower jacket section. Raising and lowering of the shutter may beeffected by a horizontal shaft 82 journaled lengthwise in the upper partof the chimney body and the adjacent side part of the upper jacketsection and provided at its rear end with a crank arm 83 and at itsfront end with a handle 84 which can be manipulated in front of thechimney body, an intermediate vertically swinging rock lever 85 pivotedon the wall I34 and having one of its arms connected with the rear arm83 of the rock shaft, and an upright shifting rod 86 connected at itsupper end with he other arm of the rock lever while its lower end isconnected with said fresh air controlling shutter 80.

Instead of discharging the heated air horizontally from the upper partof the upper heating chamber section the air after being heatedindirectly by the fire in the fire box and gathering chamber may bedischarged vertically therefrom by means of upright air outlet ducts 81extending upwardly from the opposite upper parts of the upper heatingchamber section, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. In this modifiedconstruction a screen is also shown which comprises a panel 88 movablevertically in front of the firing opening of the fire box and guided atits opposite vertical edges in upright guideways or rails 89 on the firebox and means for balancing this screen comprising counterweights 90arranged on opposite sides of the fire box and each connected with oneof the upper corners of the screen by a flexible line 9| passing over aguide roller 92 mounted on the adjacent upper stationary part of thefireplace, as shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10.

I claim as my invention:

A fireplace comprising a chimney body, a fire box arranged in the lowerpart of said body, a gathering chamber arranged in the upper part ofsaid body and communicatin at its lower end with the top of said firebox, a flue communicating with the top of said gathering chamber, an airheating chamber having a lower section arranged around the fire box andprovided on its lower front part with an internal air inlet and on itslower rear part with an external air inlet and an upper sectioncommunicating with the lower section and arranged around said gatheringchamber and having an upper air outlet, a vertically movable damper forcontrolling said external air inlet, and means for actuating said damperincluding a horizontal rock shaft journalecl in said body and providedat its rear end with a rock arm and at its front end with an operatinghandle, an intermediate lever pivoted on a fixed support and having oneend connected with the rock arm of said rock shaft, and L a shifting rodconnecting the other end of said lever with said damper.

MAX L. HEINZ.

